I. PresidentA. Approval of August 23rd MinutesB. Library – Representatives from the library were not able to attend today’s meeting, but plan to attend an SGA meeting sometime this fall semester. They are excited talking to the Representatives about the education building/library.C. Laptops- Due to questionable websites, inappropriate pictures and quotes found on several of the laptop computers on the first floor of the Education Building, logging on to those computers will soon require MNA registration. They will no longer be open for public access. It is important to log off the computers. Please pass this information along to your classmates.D. Presidential Succession-Article III, Section 8 reads: “The Academic Vice President: Shall act in lieu of the President if the President is unable to perform the duties of the office and shall succeed the office if a vacancy occurs. ” Article III, Section 5 reads: “In the event that an elected officer cannot fulfill his duties, or is disqualified from the election, then all SGA members and all candidates for that position will be asked to apply to the general SGA which will elect a replacement based on plurality vote.”Due to these 2 contradictory sections in the constitution, Ken Byrd (COM Representative) proposed the following resolution last week: “Appreciating the need to fill the office of President of the Student Government Association, bearing in mind that two articles describe how to fill a vacancy in the executive office, realizing that Article III, Section 8, Subsection (g) specifically describes the duty of the Academic Vice president to succeed the office of the President if he is unable to perform his duties, I move that the SGA approve the succession of Academic VP Mike Drake to the office of President in the absence of the elected President.”

Ken Byrd was away on rotation at this meeting so Peko Tsuji (ISA Representative), who acted as his proxy, recapped the purpose of the resolution, and performed the second reading of the resolution. After a short period of debate, the Representatives were then asked to vote for or against the resolution.

Number of Representatives who voted in favor of the resolution: 37Number of Representatives who voted against the resolution: 0Number of Representatives who abstained from voting: 0

The resolution, which needed a 50 percent majority to pass, passed

E. Student WelfareOld Business1. Smoking – Discussed Letter drafted by Mr. Jeff Watkins last week. They looked at our suggestions, but they didn’t make any changes. The letter’s been finalized and will be sent to all students and staff.

2. MUSC Arrest Policy - Mike Drake (SGA President): This was brought up at the last meeting. There were a lot of question from the body that he wasn’t able to answer. At this meeting, he gave all the representatives a copy of the policy so they could all ready it. This is the actual policy that will be passed. He is meeting with Dr. West to see how this policy slipped through their fingers. He first became aware of it right before the August 23rd Meeting. It came out of the blue. The policy affects students and as a body that represents the students, this should have come to SGA. The policy has passed on all levels except for the Board of Trustees. He asked Dr. West what would happen to students who were found not guilty? Her response was that a student’s deans can re-instate whatever was taken away.

Question from a Representative: Did you ask about the policy’s purpose?Mike Drake: yes, but she wasn’t clear. It has a several fold answer. The purpose is to turn yourself in so that it will save the university time and effort. But I don’t see how it will do that.

Question from A Representative: Do they have the same policy for faculty, staff, administration???Mike Drake: I don’t know. Dr. West will be at our next meeting. This question will be better answered by her.

Question from a Representative: Will the board have already met by the time at next meeting?Mike Drake: I don’t know.

Question from a Representative: Does this policy apply to past arrests? Or just when you’re convicted here?Mike Drake: My understanding is that the policy applies from the time you’re accepted until your graduate. It’s your responsibility to tell your dean when charges are brought against you. The policy doesn’t technically cover past arrests, since the admissions committee ran a background check on you when you were first accepted.Joseph Brown (CDM Representative): We don’t know enough about this legislation. I’d like to make a resolution that says we need more time to review this before the Board meets. I motion to make a resolution.

There were no objections from the RepresentativesQuestion from a Representative: Can students petition?Mike Drake: Students always have the right to petition. But, is our complaint with this policy the fact that SGA was not consulted and we need more time to review the policy or that we just don’t agree with the policy itself?

Point of Information: The next board meeting is in October.Mike Drake: Will the author yield to presenting resolution next meeting instead of drafting one right now? Next week we’ll have the 1st reading of the resolution. We’ll suspend the rules and have a 2nd reading as well so that the body can vote on it.Joseph Brown: Ok

Question from a Representative: Is Dr. West an integral part of writing this policy? Do we address questions to her, or to other writers? Can we get the authors to come to our meeting?Mike Drake: Dr. West is coming to our next meeting, but the reason she is coming is more of an introduction. She would like to talk about her agenda and her plan for the year. I’ve talked to her and warned her that she will be answering more questions about the policy. I’ll try to figure out who the authors are and try to get them to come to our meeting.Comment from a Representative: The way it is written, there is nothing that prevents a dean from kicking someone out of school.Mike Drake: My problem is that we weren’t included in the decision. We don’t agree with them coming to this policy without including us.

Question from a Representative: Where can we find the current policy? Is this really something new? Or is it already in place? This seems to be straight out of our Honor Code.

Email Mike Drake at drakem@musc.edu with questions to ask Dr. West. He’ll give her a list of those questions so she can prepare more educated answers

3. Returning Student Parking Registration-At the last meeting, Representatives were asked by Mike Drake to get their constituents’ thoughts on parking registration and on how they can improve it.

Julie Swick (COM Representative): Why do 4th year dental school students have parking have priority over 4th year medical school students?Kimberly Dickerson (CDM Representative): Dental students are here for an extra semester. We start in the summer and you start in the fall.Mike Drake: Last year, Alex Whitely (SGA President during that time) decided not to allow medical students who took summer gross to register for parking with dental students, even though they technically start at the same time. This was done so that there would be no hostility within the medical school class.

There are lots of valid arguments, but this is not what I was looking for. If anyone has suggestions on how to change it / improve it for next year, we’d like to knowSGA Representative: Not everyone is going to be happy with any changes we make with parking registration. It’s fine the way it is.

SGA Representative: That’s not a justification for keeping a policy.SGA Representative: The parking policy is well written; the mathematics were good. Online registration is good. It’s done. My only concern is returning student registration.SGA Representative: These are all things that can be re-evaluated this year. We need to decide on something and stick to it. We can’t keep changing it every year. SGA Representative: Maybe the parking policy should be included in the constitution? That way, the policy would be re-evaluated during constitutional review.Mike Drake: Right now, the minutes are the only place that mentions the parking policy. We don’t have the policy written down anywhere.SGA Representative: We did a good job with the parking registration last year. It finally worked. Computers didn’t freeze. To change the policy, it would require a lot of time and it may not work.SGA Representative: Just because the computers didn’t freeze doesn’t mean that the parking policy is a good policy.Mike Drake: In hindsight, not only did the parking go more smoothly then I expected, but there were even spots available at the end. Only one parking lot was sold out- FF.4. Recommendation for issues to be addressed Mike Drake passed around sheet for representatives to write down suggestions of issues that need to be addressed this year.5. Pitts Memorial Lectureship-The 13th Annual Thomas A. Pitts Memorial Lectureship, titled "Religions and Cultures of East and West: Perspectives on Bioethics, " will be held this year on September 8th and 9th at the Francis Marion Hotel. Please attend this event and encourage your classmates to attend as well. Right now, we have a lot of people who plan to attend, but would like to get even more participation from students.

New Business1. Parliamentarian-Mike Drake would like to establish an SGA parliamentarian, whose role would be to enforce Robert’s Rules of Order during the meetings. This person would attend all the meetings, and would help meetings more effective. This position would not have any voting power and would not participate in the meeting. If you know of anyone that would be interested in this position, please email Mike Drake at drakem@musc.edu. Mike would like to add this position to constitution, so that presidents can nominate parliamentarian.Question from SGA Representative: Would this position be compensated?Mike Drake: We were thinking a monetary compensation of maybe $25 per meeting? We think that’s fair. If we had important legislature to discuss, we may ask them to attend exec meetings as well.

Question from SGA Representative: Does this person have to have knowledge now of Robert’s Rules or Order, or can they learn it?Mike Drake: Ideally, this person would have knowledge, but it’s not necessary.

Question from SGA Representative: Why are you tossing this out now?Mike Drake: Because we want you to see if there is anyone interested in this position.

Question from SGA Representative: What if we don’t agree with the person who wants to be parliamentarian?Mike Drake: We can debate whether we like the person or not.

Comment from SGA Representative: Our meeting would be more effective if we all had a small working knowledge of Robert’s Rules of orders. Even returning reps don’t understand them.Mike Drake: I agree. We’ll address this during the retreat.

Question from SGA Representative How much time do you think a parliamentarian will save?Mike Drake: Lots. In the past, we have gone on too long in things that should only take 5 minutes.

Question from SGA Representative: Don’t most SGA’s have parliamentarians?Mike Drake: Yes. He named a few colleges that have them.

Question from SGA Representative: What if we send a student- wide email about this. That way we’ll get applications who have a better background with Robert Rules of Order.Mike Drake: That’s an idea. But, people don’t read emails.

Comment from SGA Representative: I like the idea of a parliamentarian, but the constitution states that the position of Academic VP should take over that role. For budget reasons- the Academic VP should do it. Whoever runs for that position should be aware of that requirement and have knowledge of Robert Rules of Order. It’s something that can easily be done. You just read a book on it and run meetings.

Comment from SGA Representative: I agree. Exec can’t vote anyway.

Comment from SGA Representative: We should run our own meeting without the help of a parliamentarian. Exec needs to have knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order. It’s an embarrassment that we can’t run our own meetings.

Comment from SGA Representative: I think having a parliamentarian would be a good idea. I don’t want people to be upset with exec just b/c they were keeping with the rules. It’s a great idea and it will save time.

2. Inter-professional Competition-Brie Dunn thanked people for signing up. Still lacking members from college of medicine, nursing, and dental. Have graduate students and pharmacy students. Advised Representatives to stress to their classmates that not a lot of people are in the competition, so the chances of winning are in their favor. Remember that scholarship prizes are: 1st place: $3000 team scholarship, plus a spot in the national competition; 2nd place: $2000 team scholarship; and 3rd place: $1000 team scholarship. Email Brie if you have any questions.

3. SGA T-shirts- No more polo shirts. They are too expensive and not a lot of people will wear them. We are getting T-shirts instead. If you would like to help develop a design, talk to Brie Dunn. Because we are ordering the T-shirts later than intended, they will not be ready by the retreat.F. MUSC SGA Retreat – Mandatory Attendance1. SGA Rep Night Out – Friday, Sept 22nda. 6-8pm @ Coast- If you are you planning on attending the SGA Retreat Social at COAST, there’s a sign up sheet. SGA reps can bring a guest. Need to know #s to tell Coast. Coast is located at 39 D John Street, Downtown. Appetizers will be served and drink tickets will be available. Don't worry if you can't come for the whole time -it is more of a drop in event for SGA reps to get to know each other!!a) Retreat - Saturday, Sept 23rd . Will be meeting: 8:30am- 1:00pm @ Mitchell Elementary School2. New Rep Orientation – Sept. 20th after SGA meeting- won’t be long. Will help orient new reps with what’s going on in body before retreat.G. Reps needed for University Committees1. Web Governance Committee-once/month Mondays 10:30-12:00 (1)  EMAIL MIKE IF INTERESTED.H. (2) Reps willing to help clean-up after meeting

II. Program Vice President (Brie Dunn)Old BusinessA. Back-in-the-Saddle-Again.Brie Dunn thanked everyone who went to the Back-in-the-Saddle-Again party. It was a success! There were over 650 people in attendance. She also thanked everyone who helped, especially those who stayed extra. She hoped everyone had a good time.1. Program EvaluationShe picked out 3 representatives from this body to go back to their class and pass out evaluations for the event. In the past, representatives have filled out evaluations for SGA events. She hopes that this will reflect more of what student body thinks.B. Picnic in The Park-cancelled due to ErnestoThere was a lot of interest for this event, but sadly, it was cancelled again. SGA will host this event next summer.

New BusinessA. Night out @ Tonik1. Friday Sept 8th; 6pm-9pmWill be held at Tonic Club on King Street. Free soft drink, free appetizers by T-bonz, and drink specials.B. Activities Fair1. Wednesday, Sept. 13; 11:30-1:15pm.Will be held in the horseshoe. This is a great annual event. There will be 80 booths, with 40 community volunteer organizations, student clubs and services, and delicious food from restaurants. There will also be booth to register to vote. C. Concert at St. Luke’s1. Sept 15th ; 8pmWill be held at St. Luke’s Chapel, in the corner of Ashley and Bee Streets. The group Havannason will be performing Cuban Salsa. Kaminsky’s delicious desserts will be served in the lobby of the library after the performance. Spread the word to classmatesC. Book Fair1. Sept 19th ;12pm-5pm2. Sept 20th; 7:30am-2:30pmWill be held in the Portico of the Education Center/Library. Great reading from fiction to cookbooks, all at deeply discounted prices! SGA will get a % of the profits from books sold. Stop by and check out what they have.

III. Academic Vice PresidentElection for vacant position:Article III Section V says:“In the event that an elected officer cannot fulfill his duties, or is disqualified from the election, then all SGA members and all candidates for that position will be asked to apply to the general SGA, which will elect a replacement based on plurality vote”

Mike Drake (SGA President): Reminded everyone that at the last meeting they discussed the vacancy of this position. He had asked all Representatives to nominate someone within SGA by 5pm on Friday, August 25th. Nominations were to be done via email, with the nominees sending a 250-word statement explaining why they wanted to run for this position. Only one SGA member, Aaron Embry (CHP Representative), emailed Mike with a statement. Due to that, he wanted to enter a period of debate to discuss that candidate.Joseph Brown (CDM Representative): Believed that there was such a small window of time to submit a statement before the deadline. Wanted to ask the body how they felt about extending the deadline.

Mike Drake: Expressed reservations with that. Representatives knew about the vacancy all summer. He sent them an email telling them that they would be voting on it at the first meeting. He believes the representatives had enough time to think about nominating themselves. He only received one email with a statement.

Joseph Brown: Asked to suspend Mike’s rules from last week. He wants anyone else who is interested in running to be able to. He also informed everyone that Aaron would be leaving at the end of the fall semester.

Mike Drake: Doesn’t think that suspending his rules every time someone is upset is a good idea. He believes that SGA members had enough notice about this position. If anyone had really considered running, they would have submitted a personal statement. He also informed the body that nowhere in the constitution does it say that an officer can’t be in the position for only one semester.

Question from a Representative: What happens when he leaves?Answer from Mike Drake: There will be an election in October to fill the position in January. From October to January, the new elected officer would train with Aaorn. That way, there will be continuity.

Question from Representative: If someone else is interested in this position, why not have him or her fill this position, that way the same person will be in the position all year?Harmony Edelman (CON Representative): Have you had anyone else interested in this position contact you or exec?Mike Drake: Only Brie Dunn has been contacted after the deadline. Someone else contacted me before the deadline, but he wasn’t a member of SGA before the deadline. He’s a representative now.

The Representatives voted on whether or not they should suspend Mike’s Rules.Vote:Number of Representatives who voted in favor of suspending Mike’s Rules: 17Number of Representatives who voted against suspending Mike’s Rules: 19Number of Representatives who abstained from voting: 1

Aaron Embry (CHP Representative): Addressed the Representatives, stating that this was his third year on SGA. He’s been an active member and an outspoken individual of what’s just and right. He has always looked for the good that can come to the university and hopes to continue to do this. He challenged all SGA members to make a difference, stating that it’s their job. That’s what they’re there for. He is upset that he was the only member to make the deadline. He was looking forward to the debate. He appreciates their support.

Aaron’s Personal Statement of Interest, which was emailed to Representatives before the meeting, is below:

Personal Statement of Interest for the Executive Office of Academic Vice President of the Medical University of South Carolina--Student Government Association

Including my name to the possible candidates for Academic Vice President of the Medical University of South Carolina Student Government Association of 2006-2007 is very exciting for me. This position requires a highly qualified and motivated individual which I believe I have proven to be through my unfaltering dedication to the MUSC-SGA. This is my third and final year as a member of the MUSC-SGA. When I graduate I will be able to say that I have served the MUSC community since the day I stepped foot on campus. Over the course of my representation, I have always been a vocal advocate for the educational issues that set MUSC apart from other leading institutions in the southeast. I have written new policy, actively participated in a variety of committees at MUSC, and last year received an award for my passion and dedication to the Student Government Association. During my career at MUSC, I have also established solid relationships with faculty and administration which are essential to success as the Academic Vice President. Our previous executive board members did an outstanding job of building bridges and opening lines of communication that we must now capitalize upon. I have the drive, determination, and tact required to lead our student body to an even more advantageous position with new initiatives and calls to action. Each member of the MUSC community should have an active roll in making this University a well-known and respected name as well as an ideal place for higher learning to all people; SGA has the opportunity to take a leading role in this responsibility. An essential part of being an effective leader is colleague empowerment. I will challenge every member of the MUSC-SGA to find at least one issue to act upon to make the academic experience at MUSC a uniquely superior and exceptional experience. I am qualified and motivated to be the Academic Vice President of the Medical University of South Carolina Student Government Association and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve and lead in this role. Thank you for your support.

Aaron stepped out of the room and the Representatives debated for or against him.

Pro 1- He’s passionate, he wants to do it, he followed the rule and made the deadline.Pro2 - Meeting deadlines is important. The person who meets deadlines is the person who I want to lead mePro 3 - He followed the rules. We should learn from this experience and work on how SGA wants to do this in the future. .Pro 4 - Aaron always gives 120% to everything he does. He’s going to give 120% to this position, even though he’ll only be here for a short time. He’ll do what the students deserve. Just because he’s leaving early doesn’t mean that he won’t do a good job.Con 1– I think he will do a good job too, but I think more people should have applied.Con 2- Aaron’s awesome, but I’d rather be represented for longer than 2 months. It will be a hassle to us if we have different people doing the same job at different times. Pro 5/Con 3?: I think it’s terrible that someone who wanted this position couldn’t make the deadline. We want continuity to this organization and administration. It makes more sense. We’ll just elect someone else for next year.Question: He’ll be until fall semester. If we vote not to elect him, what will happen?Mike Drake: If we don’t vote on Aaron, the election for the Academic VP position will be university-wide.Question: Why isn’t there something in the constitution about only being here for one semester? Mike Drake: I don’t know.

After the period of debate, the Representatives were then asked to vote for or against the Aaron’s election into Academic VP.

Vote:Number of Representatives who voted in favor of Aaron: 21Number of Representatives who voted against Aaron: 8Number of Representatives who abstained from voting: 7

Aaron Embry was elected as SGA’s Academic Vice President.

IV. Treasurer (Bhav Shukla)Liz Sheridan, Director, MUSC Gives BackNew BusinessB. Service1. Beach Sweep Sept 16thBhav Shukla (SGA Treasurer): Passed around a sign up sheet for the Beach Sweep service project for Saturday, September 16th, held at Folly Beach. He reminded the representatives that they were required to do 1 service project per semester (the retreat service project does not count towards the requirement). If you have any suggestions about service projects, let Bhav know.

2. Service SurveyAll representatives were given a service survey with different MUSC SGA volunteering opportunities. Reps were asked to rank the events, dates, and times work best for them. Bhav encouraged them to write suggestions for other service projects on the bottom of the surveys. The events/dates listed on the survey were:September 26 – Charleston Active Day CenterOctober 14- Memory WalkOctober 17- Student Blood DriveOctober 26- AMSA Sugar Free Fall CarnivalNovember 18- Charleston Habitat for HumanityDecember 1- MUSC World AIDS DayDecember 6- MUSC Holiday Lightening

III. Secretary (Ana Panduro)A. SGA TV Bulletin RequestThe SGA TV Policy has been modified and representatives were given a copy of updated SGA TV Bulletin Request form. There are two notable changes in the policy: 1) The SGA TV will only be updated on the 1st and 15th of every month and slides must be submitted 2 days prior to those dates; and 2) Announcements will run from the 1st of the month to the 15th of the month, from the 15th of the month to the end of the month, or both, depending on the date or type of event being publicized. Announcements can be renewed once. The policy can now be viewed on the SGA website (www.musc.edu/sga)B. Please update your contact Information

IV. IntramuralsA. Flag Football Captain’s Meeting Last Night

V. College and Organizational ReportsDental – nothing to reportGraduate Studies - The Annual Student Research Day will be on the 3rd of November. Abstract submission is on September 20th.Health Professionals –• All of SGA representatives for CHP have been elected• PA Class of 2008: Smoke Free Restaurant Fundraiser on September 30, 2006 (tentative). $5 gets you appetizers and drink specials from Rue de Jean, Coast, Raval, and Chai's Lounge and Tapas. Wristbands will be on sale in the hospital and CHP atrium.• ABHP: Tickets for the Annual Autumn Gala (which will be held onOctober 7th) are now available and on sale for $30.00 which include free food and an open bar with a live band (A Touch of Class. Student ticket can be purchased from any member of ABHP and if you need any further information contact ashford@musc.edu or sinkler@musc.edu.• CARES Clinic Fundraiser Toucan Reef on Friday September 15th from 8:00 pm -11:00 pm. We will have a live band (Black and Blues) and there will be free beer and food while supplies last. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door.International Student Association –Medicine - nothing to reportMulti-Cultural Student Advisory Board: MSAB will have their first General Body Meeting on Monday September 11th in the Harper Student Center Auditorium at 5:15pm. Dinner will be served.Nursing- nothing to reportPharmacy- nothing to reportMUSC Gay Straight Alliance – not presentAlliance for Hispanic Health - AHH wanted approval to use SGA owned table tents on the first floor of the Education building. Table tents were passed around for representatives to see. Each tent had a brief bio on an influential Hispanic on one side, and a calendar of events for Hispanic American Heritage Month (September 15- October 15, 2006) on the other side. SGA approved the use of table tents by AHH as long as the picture quality was improved.Nursing- nothing to report

University Wide Committees Webadvisor Committee – Robin Hardin (SPO) attended the last meeting because no student representative had signed up to be in this committee. At the meeting, the committee’s goal was to design a student on-line portal that has everything that students could want or need. But during the meeting, the committee decided to first research what students already have available. Harmony Edelman (CON Representative) agreed to attend the next meeting for this committee.Parking- Lee Lineberry (CGS Representative): At the meeting, the committee talked about the flooding problems in the student parking lots. Lots FF and A flood. The committee’s advice to students, who can’t get into their lots because of flooding, was to call the parking management office. They will temporarily place students somewhere else. Lee asked if rates will increase next year, they said they would get back to her.Educational Infrastructure – nothingWireless Implementation - 1/2 of Harper Student Center has wireless internetStudent Legislative Advisory- Mackenzie Turner (COP Representative): The committee last met in May. It had big plans, but as of late, Mackenzie hasn’t heard from them and isn’t sure if they’re still together.Pitts Memorial Lectureship- nothing*If you want to be on the agenda, email Mike Drake by Saturday 5pm, before the SGA Exec Meetings, which are held on the Monday of the week with SGA Meetings. Otherwise, the college reports will be left out of the agenda.

VI. Student ProgramsA. Charleston Concert Association Student Discount Sales1. Begins Tuesday Aug 29th and ends Thurs Oct. 5thBayne Harvey (Student Programs Staff): Subscriptions for the 2006-2007 Charleston Concert Association performances are offered to MUSC students at a 50% discount! Ticket sales begins Tuesday August 29th and end Thursday October 5th in the Student Programs Office. All performances will be held at the Gaillard Auditorium and begin at 8:00pm. Prices range according to seating.-Orchestra seats for the full season $112-1st 2 concerts in the Orchestra section $70-Balcony seats for the full season $37